Monday, July 7, 2008 Wings-Blackhawks outdoor game likelyTed Kulfan / The Detroit NewsDETROIT -- The long-rumored outdoor game between the Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks appears to be set.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman reportedly met last week with officials from the Blackhawks, Chicago Cubs, and city of Chicago to finalize details for the third Winter Classic, which will be held Jan. 1 at Wrigley Field.

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres played in front of an NHL-record 71,217 last season in Buffalo's Ralph Wilson Stadium.

AdvertisementAn official announcement regarding the Wings-Blackhawks game is likely next week during a Blackhawks fan convention in Chicago.

Anyways, Bettman is an idiot once again by scheduling this game on New Years Day. I watch college football on that day, like most American sports fans, so I'll probably only watch parts of the game. In addition, what is this going to do to the Wings' traditional New Years Eve game?

Anyways, Bettman is an idiot once again by scheduling this game on New Years Day. I watch college football on that day, like most American sports fans, so I'll probably only watch parts of the game. In addition, what is this going to do to the Wings' traditional New Years Eve game?

Bettman truly is an idiot. I love it when Chelios ridicules him Again when he introduced the cup to the wings. He was a nervous wreck. How that guy and hockey itself is still afloat is beyond me.

I would really enjoy an outdoor game. Wish it was played in detroit but o'well. Good point on the the college bowl games too. I'd almost rather watch them.

For me, I guess it depends upon who's playing in the Capital One Bowl at that time. Last year, Michigan was playing Florida, so I obviously watched that over Pitt against Buffalo in an outdoor hockey game. If it ends up being Illinois vs. Tennessee this season, I'll probably end up watching the hockey game instead. Who knows?

And Bettman truly is an idiot and I've felt that way for a very long time now.

_________________

July 8th, 2008, 2:45 pm

TheRealWags

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Joined: December 31st, 2004, 9:55 amPosts: 12278

detnews.com wrote:

Tuesday, July 8, 2008Red Wings: NotebookOutdoor game looks to be setRed Wings would face Blackhawks in third Winter Classic Jan. 1 at Chicago's Wrigley Field.

Ted Kulfan / The Detroit NewsDETROIT -- The only thing left appears to be the official announcement.

The long-rumored outdoor game between the Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks appears to be set.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman reportedly met last week with officials from the Blackhawks, Chicago Cubs, and Chicago Mayor Richard Daley to finalize details for the third Winter Classic, which will be held Jan. 1 at Wrigley Field.

An announcement will likely come next weekend during the Blackhawks fan convention.

Wings officials insist they haven't heard a thing.

"All we've heard is we're one of the teams that's being considered," said Jim Nill, the Wings' assistant general manager. "We haven't heard anything more than that."

The Wings will likely have to give up their annual New Year's Eve game at Joe Louis Arena. The Winter Classic will be held in the afternoon on Jan. 1, so it's impossible for the Wings to have a game the night before.

But that doesn't mean the players aren't excited.

"I think it's great for hockey," Wings defenseman Brian Rafalski said. "Chicago's a great sports town and Wrigley Field's a quality stadium. I think the NHL should have three, four or five games like that (outdoor) a year to give all players a chance to do it.

"It's great to play on adverse conditions. That's what you remember growing up, playing on ponds. I remember when I was 7 or 8 playing at a little park in Wyandotte. The city flooded it and we played on a surface that couldn't have been any bigger than 20 by 20 yards. We had no boards. It was great."

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres played in front of an NHL-record 71,217 last season in Buffalo's Ralph Wilson Stadium. Edmonton and Montreal held the first Winter Classic.

Class in sessionThe Wings are holding a development camp for draft picks this week at Joe Louis Arena.

Nill said 21 young players in the organization, including recent draft picks, took to the ice Monday morning. But most of the time is spent off the ice.

"They're going to school and learning what it takes to get to the NHL," Nill said. "They're getting familiar with our organization, the coaches, and when they get to training camp they'll be more comfortable."

Read Comments(10)Recommend Print this page E-mail this article Share this article: Del.icio.us Facebook Digg Reddit Newsvine What’s this? James Wisniewski grew up in Canton dreaming of playing hockey and baseball.

Now the Chicago defenseman will get a chance to play hockey at Wrigley Field when the Blackhawks host the Red Wings on New Year's Day.

The Winter Classic 2009, featuring two Original Six clubs in one of the great baseball stadiums, will be the 701st meeting between the teams.

No other NHL teams have met more times in the regular season.

The 1 p.m. game will be broadcast nationally by NBC, and by CBC and RDS throughout Canada.

"That's once-in-a-lifetime right there," Wisniewski said Wednesday.

The Wings will forgo their annual New Year's Eve game to play in the Classic.

General manager Ken Holland has requested 5,000 tickets from the league, some of which would be given to players' families. While it's not known how remaining tickets will be distributed, Holland said he hoped fans would be able to "spend New Year's Eve in Chicago and then watch your Red Wings play on New Year's Day."

Wisniewski, addressing rumors that the Winter Classic might have been played at Yankee Stadium in New York, said: "Somehow, we ended up getting it. I think it's going to be pretty good, especially with our team on the rise and Detroit the defending Stanley Cup champions."

Last year's Winter Classic was played at Ralph Wilson Stadium, home of the Buffalo Bills. The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Buffalo Sabres, 2-1, in a shoot-out that drew immense publicity for the league and a record crowd of 71,217.

Atlanta: The Thrashers have agreed to undisclosed terms with their goaltender, Kari Lehtonen, a restricted free agent.

Buffalo: The Sabres signed left wing Daniel Paille, a restricted free agent, to a multiyear contract.

Edmonton: Center Shawn Horcoff (Michigan State) signed a six-year, $33-million contract extension. The 29-year-old scored 21 goals and 50 points in 53 games last season before undergoing surgery on his left shoulder.

LOS ANGELES: Terry Murray has been hired as the new coach of the Kings. A team spokesman said Murray will be introduced today at a news conference at the Kings' training facility in suburban El Segundo. Murray coached the Philadelphia Flyers to the Stanley Cup finals 11 years ago.

N.Y. Islanders: The Islanders agreed to terms on two-year deals with forwards Sean Bergenheim ($1.725 million) and Jeff Tambellini ($1.175 million). Bergenheim scored 10 goals and 22 points in 78 games with the Islanders last season, while Tambellini (Michigan) scored 38 goals and 76 points in 57 games with their AHL affiliate, Bridgeport.